Meetings to tap ideas for funding

Published: Monday, October 14, 2013 at 12:41 PM.

MOREHEAD CITY — Three public meetings slated this month will glean ideas from the commercial fishing industry for ways to fund N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ observer program.

The program collects information at sea about commercial and recreational harvests. The program’s members observe harvests aboard fishing or division boats.

The program earned a recent funding boost from the N.C. General Assembly to help with the current fiscal year, but the division seeks ideas for future funding sources.

“After this fiscal year, there’s going to be a shortfall as far as what they need for the program,” said division Protected Resources Section Chief Chris Batsavage.

The meetings will be held Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo; Oct. 22 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City; and Oct. 24 at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center in Wilmington. Each meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Batsavage said ensuring adequate funding is vital to achieve new statewide requirements after the recent take permit was enacted. The take permit authorizes the limited take of sea turtles in North Carolina’s estuarine gill net fisheries.

MOREHEAD CITY — Three public meetings slated this month will glean ideas from the commercial fishing industry for ways to fund N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ observer program.

The program collects information at sea about commercial and recreational harvests. The program’s members observe harvests aboard fishing or division boats.

The program earned a recent funding boost from the N.C. General Assembly to help with the current fiscal year, but the division seeks ideas for future funding sources.

“After this fiscal year, there’s going to be a shortfall as far as what they need for the program,” said division Protected Resources Section Chief Chris Batsavage.

The meetings will be held Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo; Oct. 22 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City; and Oct. 24 at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center in Wilmington. Each meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Batsavage said ensuring adequate funding is vital to achieve new statewide requirements after the recent take permit was enacted. The take permit authorizes the limited take of sea turtles in North Carolina’s estuarine gill net fisheries.

As a condition of the permit, the federal government requires observer coverage.

“To meet the level of coverage required, we need more observers,” Batsavage said.

The program traditionally has received an annual appropriation of $300,000 with additional money from federal grants and fishing license fees.

Batsavage said funding beyond the $300,000 fluctuates.

The N.C. General Assembly approved a one-time appropriation of $1.1 million to fund the program in Fiscal Year 2013-2014 and approved increases in many commercial fishing license fees to fund the program in the future.

The legislature also directed the division to hold at least three public meetings in different coastal counties to gather ideas that will establish alternative funding sources.

Those who cannot attend a scheduled meeting can submit written comments until Nov. 1.